Adaptive AquaPaddling

Adaptive paddling is a way of making paddlesports available to disabled people who want to get on the water. Sometimes it’s as simple as having an easy way into the water or some basic British Sign Language for communication, other times it involves adapted kit – supportive seating, outriggers or paddle grips, for example. It’s well known that being around water and out in nature brings physical and mental benefits, and paddlesport can be an excellent way to access those spaces.

AquaPaddle has been encouraging Captains to add access information to their locations on the website, so adaptive paddlers can easily start to judge whether a location might be suitable for them. Some of our locations are also run by clubs that have a particular interest in adaptive paddling, such as Central Scotland Adventures or Ripple Rebels.

Outside of AquaPaddle, adaptive paddling is growing in the UK and beyond. Will Behenna, of Inclusive Paddleboarding, has been working on a campaign to improve access to our amazing British coastline. You can find out more here, and even take part in an accessibility audit of your local beach – https://beachaccessproject.co.uk/

In her recent book Adventures on the Water, Jo Moseley presented the stories of paddlers who wrote about the changes paddlesports have brought to their lives. A couple of those featured were people with disabilities who found a worthy challenge, peace, or both on the water.

To find out more about adaptive paddling within Aquapaddle you can contact our Adaptive Paddling ambassador at [email protected].

Paddle-ability providers can be found at https://gopaddling.info/blog/local-paddling-services/find-local-paddle-ability/, and training for coaches and clubs who would like to feel more confident with adaptive paddlers is available from Paddle UK https://paddlesuptraining.com/courses/introduction-to-paddle-ability/#page-content

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